Premature mortality, measured in terms of potential years of life lost (PYLL) before the age of 70 years, focuses on deaths among younger age groups of the population. PYLL values are heavily influenced by infant mortality and deaths from diseases and injuries
affecting children and younger adults: a death at five years of age represents 65 PYLL; one at 60 years of age only ten. Declines in PYLL can be influenced by advances in medical technology, for example, in relation to infant mortality and deaths due to heart
disease, and in prevention and control measures, reducing untimely or avoidable deaths from injuries and communicable diseases. A number of other variables, such as GDP per capita, occupational status, numbers of doctors and alcohol and tobacco consumption,
have also been associated with reduced premature mortality (Or, 2000; Joumard et al., 2008).